Owner dreams of a new family dynasty with his daughter of Fastnet Rock

Chris Roots

The two-year-old is the second generation of an investment Delaney always wanted to make, but he goes to the track with some sadness after the lost of her dam Nediyms Dream.

"When I turned 40 my wife didn't get me a present," he said. "Instead she gave me permission to buy a racehorse. She knew it was something I always wanted to do.

"When she said I could get one, I had a friend of mine sitting next to me, who said his brother breeds horses, and that's how it started."

Delaney went to a stud and the first horse he looked at was Nediyms Dream. She was passed in at the sales, which gave Delaney the chance to buy a modest 10 per cent share.

"I just had a little bit of her but it is exciting to have a horse for us," he said. Nediyms Dream went on to win $208,000, including a James Carr Stakes, and ran several quality races in black-type mares company.

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"It was my first experience of racing a horse and we were lucky to get a good one," Delaney said. "We wanted to breed from her but in the meanwhile I needed to get another horse, so we went out and bought a share in one which wasn't so successful."

Nediyms Dream went to boom stallion Fastnet Rock and produced a daughter, Rock Dreaming, but within 24 hours of foaling she died.

"It was quite sad to lose her because we hoped to get a couple more horses out and it made Rock Dreaming a little more special for all of us," Delaney said.

"She had to be brought up by a foster mum but took to that very quickly, which is always a concern when mum dies.

"She has always been a nice-looking filly and she has got to the track early on and we hope she might win a couple of races."

Like her mother, Rock Dreaming was sent to John O'Shea to be prepared and has shown enough ability to get the races before Christmas.

On debut a couple of weeks ago at Rosehill, she ran a distant fifth behind Certitude, but with that experience under her belt she is expected to improve in the second at Rosehill on Saturday.

"I picked up the paper before that first run and saw John had said she could be a Golden Slipper horse," Delaney said. "That is a big rap and there is not anywhere to hide when you say that. She did all right but was always going to improve from that first run. John has told us he expects her to develop into a very nice filly. If she can win a couple of races it might allow me to buy a share in another one. We would love if she could keep the family tradition going."